The number of expats who are in violation of residency law reached 128,897 by the end of 2014, according to data collected from the Interior Ministry’s Detectives General Department. This number makes up around five percent of the total expats’ population of nearly 2.8 million, bearing in mind that a field action towards them did not exceed 20 percent of the total violators. Meanwhile, the development plan for 2015/2020 showed that the expat labor population suffers from low education level, as there is 70 percent of the total number represents workers with below intermediate education. This negatively affects development in Kuwait, as described by a source quoted in the report.

Authority services Meanwhile, an official source at the Manpower Public Authority said that based on the instructions of the Director General Jamal Al-Dousary to reduce the burden of patrons and business owners, a mechanization of authority services to labor departments in areas instead of having it in one center in Jabriya has been distributed. The source said that updating information about businessmen and companies is done in the department where the company files are kept. It is no longer required for all to come to Jabriya to update their data, the source added.

Fake workers On another topic, administrative sources at the Manpower Restructuring Program and the State’s Executive System, stopped payments of salaries to 1,500 citizens in the private sector during this month for suspicions of them being fake workers. Secretary General of the Program Fawzi Al-Majdali confirmed that the salaries were stopped, but did not give numbers, adding that the stoppage came with sending some companies for legal action after making sure they were bogus. Majdali said those concerned were told to get a work permit from the authority, bank statement that shows company transfers of its employees salaries during the past months in order to resume payments of their salaries, otherwise they will be referred to legal authorities to make them repay the money paid to them undeservedly.